Lexus IS200 Sport. Bought off a chap who lives down the road
Discussion
I'd been looking for a shed money runaround since March, when I sold my Volvo S60 T5 -
The Volvo was a lovely low mileage car, with a modest remap taking it to about 270bhp. I also spent quite a bit of money replacing the alternator and cambelt, among other things in the short time (less than a year) I kept it. Overall, I don't have a terribly exciting car history - Impreza WRX, EP3 Civic Type R, BMW E90 325i, Alfa GTV TS and the Volvo are about as exciting as it gets.
I'm not sure why the Volvo's stay was so short-lived - maybe because I spent quite a bit on it I was just fearful something else would crop up. Also, it was a geartronic box so arguably not a great driver's car (not to mention its hefty size). It was amusingly quick when you put your foot to the floor, though.
Since the Volvo departed I've been plodding around in my wife's Peugeot 307 1.6 auto and my Ford S Max 2.0TDCI (163ps) with a powershift auto box. Both perfectly okay cars in fact, but I'm not really an auto fan, and neither is in any way fun to drive.
Therefore, barely a day has passed that I haven't perused ebay and gumtree for something to replace the Volvo. There were no real criteria - manual definitely preferred, shed budget preferred, something tidy and well looked after. Low miles a bonus but not essential. Like the idea of a 'modern classic' but that's subjective anyway. The search was also hindered by lack of time - I'm either working or looking after 2 young kids. So something nearby, would be great.
Which leads me to this fine automobile -
I always enjoy the threads on here where people travel by train, plane, sea or whatever to collect their new car. This was the exact opposite. Gumtree had the distance as '1/4 mile' from me. I'd say it was less, quite literally 2 or 3 minutes walk. That said, I don't recall seeing it before - I live in a cul-de-sac and so does the seller. He seems to do about 2000 miles per year so it clearly isn't out and about frequently ('I take the bus into the city, anyway', he tells me). Also, I suspect the Lexus is a car I wouldn't necessarily look twice at.
The ad was brief - *Very good condition, New cam belt fitted.New front tyres. fully serviced. Bargain.*
The (3)pictures were okay, but nothing special (no great detail, no interior shots). It was priced at £950 (or £1000ono if you go by the pieces of paper in the car's window).
Anyway, a couple of emails were exchanged with the seller. He seemed a reasonable person. I arranged a time and wandered round to view the car. By now I'd done my research into these cars and pretty much decided I wanted it and what I was going to pay.
The owner was a pleasant chap, probably in his 70s, and had owned the car since May 2005. He explained that he had upgraded to a new Honda Civic.
Anyway, I offered £900 and he accepted.
So, what have I acquired?
FJ52TAV is a Lexus IS200 Sport. It has covered around 62,500 miles.
It was registered on 01/09/2002 so it will be 17 years old come September.
These only came with the one engine so its a 2.0 six cylinder petrol with around 153bhp.
6 speed manual gearbox.
The Lexus also comes in the S or SE flavour - I think when I looked on 'How many Left?' there's 8000+ SE cars on the road, not many 'S' cars as these were the base spec. The sport versions number about 2300. The sport differs from the others in that it adds a short throw gear leaver, Limited slip differential and lowered rear suspension.
The car comes with precious little service history. The seller assures me his friend is a technician at Toyota and has serviced it regularly though the last time was 2 years ago (probably only 4k miles or so though). It drives lovely so I'm not rushing to service it right now.
MOT is until August 30th. This worries me, but not a lot. The garage he used is also the one I take my wife's car to. They know the car well and they are sensible people. Last year the Lexus had an advisory for a shock absorber, pitted rear discs and a binding service brake. The later issue was fixed but not the others. It's not done many miles but we'll see what this year brings come early August.
There is the odd spot of rust but nothing too terrible. Worst is probably the offside rear arch where it looks like it has had a scrape at some point and not been repaired, thus rusting. The seller tells me it has always garaged it, so it should be in decent condition.
Notwithstanding the lack of history, the seller did have the cambelt and waterpump replaced last September and new tyres on the front (Avon I think). The rears are mismatched but have plenty of tread. The alloys are clearly the original ones and an absolute dog's dinner. The worst I have owned on any car, but from googling, this was a common issue on these cars. I won't spend money on new ones or a refurb, but I'll see if I can brighten them up myself (says the most useless DIYer ever to live).
(the rear alloys are not so bad, the fronts are much worse)
By contrast, the interior looks blooming lovely. The seats barely sat in and with no obvious bolster wear. I'm not a fan of leather so I'm happy they are the ones just trimmed with leather. I've sat in newer cars which feel quite dated (I'm thinking my 2006 Mondeo zetec a few years back), but the inside of this does not feel like a 2002 car.
The stereo sounds good, the front seats are both heated and electrically adjustable. Air con works well. There's a sunroof (maybe not a good thing). It doesn't have the satnav option but I prefer phone apps anyway. I haven't tested everything on it, but the seller tells me it all works fine.
As for driving it -
I've only had a couple of drives so far - both around 20 miles - mix of dual carriageway (with plenty of roundabouts) and A/B roads.
It seems to drive really well. It feels pretty tight and well planted when heading around corners or roundabouts. The gearbox and clutch seem absolutely fine. No worrying bumps or clunks, no sign of any warning lights on the dash. Started with half a tank of fuel, now just above the quarter. You don't buy these for their fuel economy.
Anyway, I knew that. I've read pretty much every IS200 thread on here. I've read all the criticisms and faults and I bought it anyway. Of course, the most common gripe seems to be that (for a 2.0/6 cylinder engine) it doesn't offer enough in terms of performance. I see where that comes from - coming off a roundabout onto a nice straight dual carriageway in 2nd/3rd/4th, whatever gear you try, in fact, that straight line acceleration isn't quite there. In the same scenario, my BMW 325i, another 6 cylinder set up but with 215bhp-ish would feel pretty effortless. Apart from that, the Lexus actually seemed to make pretty decent progress under most conditions - it's a 130mph+ car and using the gears and rev range appropriately it makes pretty decent progress.
So what next?
I'm going to spend a little time tidying it up - mainly the wheels and the spots of rust.
I'm on holiday for a week end of July into August so the MOT will be booked for just after this. The S Max will do the holiday duties.
Maybe have it serviced, though if I decide I'm parting with it post-MOT, I'll probably leave that to the next lucky owner.
I'll use it as much as possible - either for family duties or just for the sake of a drive. This will help me decide if it's a keeper. Problem is, I don't have limitless off-road parking (or loads of cash), so I can't really justify more than 3 cars. I need to have something vaguely interesting to drive among those 3. One of these was never really on my radar - it's just the fact that a pretty tidy, very local example at a favourable price popped up, that it's now sitting on my driveway.
Just a couple of questions, for anybody who might know.
-can anyone tell me what colour this car actually is? Looks like I will have to order touch up paint from ebay but there seems more than one Lexus silver. I know I'm being lazy, could probably find out with a bit of googling or looking through the paperwork.
-Secondly, I have 2 remote keys, but the battery is dead in one of them. I have a Timpsons nearby who do the remote keys. Has anyone used them?
Finally, here's a half decent little IS200 Sport review, from back in the day -
http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/cartestreports/2...
And finally,finally, a few random pics (and thanks for reading) -
Took a tip from another readers car thread and tried to polish the slightly discoloured lights with t-cut -
The Volvo was a lovely low mileage car, with a modest remap taking it to about 270bhp. I also spent quite a bit of money replacing the alternator and cambelt, among other things in the short time (less than a year) I kept it. Overall, I don't have a terribly exciting car history - Impreza WRX, EP3 Civic Type R, BMW E90 325i, Alfa GTV TS and the Volvo are about as exciting as it gets.
I'm not sure why the Volvo's stay was so short-lived - maybe because I spent quite a bit on it I was just fearful something else would crop up. Also, it was a geartronic box so arguably not a great driver's car (not to mention its hefty size). It was amusingly quick when you put your foot to the floor, though.
Since the Volvo departed I've been plodding around in my wife's Peugeot 307 1.6 auto and my Ford S Max 2.0TDCI (163ps) with a powershift auto box. Both perfectly okay cars in fact, but I'm not really an auto fan, and neither is in any way fun to drive.
Therefore, barely a day has passed that I haven't perused ebay and gumtree for something to replace the Volvo. There were no real criteria - manual definitely preferred, shed budget preferred, something tidy and well looked after. Low miles a bonus but not essential. Like the idea of a 'modern classic' but that's subjective anyway. The search was also hindered by lack of time - I'm either working or looking after 2 young kids. So something nearby, would be great.
Which leads me to this fine automobile -
I always enjoy the threads on here where people travel by train, plane, sea or whatever to collect their new car. This was the exact opposite. Gumtree had the distance as '1/4 mile' from me. I'd say it was less, quite literally 2 or 3 minutes walk. That said, I don't recall seeing it before - I live in a cul-de-sac and so does the seller. He seems to do about 2000 miles per year so it clearly isn't out and about frequently ('I take the bus into the city, anyway', he tells me). Also, I suspect the Lexus is a car I wouldn't necessarily look twice at.
The ad was brief - *Very good condition, New cam belt fitted.New front tyres. fully serviced. Bargain.*
The (3)pictures were okay, but nothing special (no great detail, no interior shots). It was priced at £950 (or £1000ono if you go by the pieces of paper in the car's window).
Anyway, a couple of emails were exchanged with the seller. He seemed a reasonable person. I arranged a time and wandered round to view the car. By now I'd done my research into these cars and pretty much decided I wanted it and what I was going to pay.
The owner was a pleasant chap, probably in his 70s, and had owned the car since May 2005. He explained that he had upgraded to a new Honda Civic.
Anyway, I offered £900 and he accepted.
So, what have I acquired?
FJ52TAV is a Lexus IS200 Sport. It has covered around 62,500 miles.
It was registered on 01/09/2002 so it will be 17 years old come September.
These only came with the one engine so its a 2.0 six cylinder petrol with around 153bhp.
6 speed manual gearbox.
The Lexus also comes in the S or SE flavour - I think when I looked on 'How many Left?' there's 8000+ SE cars on the road, not many 'S' cars as these were the base spec. The sport versions number about 2300. The sport differs from the others in that it adds a short throw gear leaver, Limited slip differential and lowered rear suspension.
The car comes with precious little service history. The seller assures me his friend is a technician at Toyota and has serviced it regularly though the last time was 2 years ago (probably only 4k miles or so though). It drives lovely so I'm not rushing to service it right now.
MOT is until August 30th. This worries me, but not a lot. The garage he used is also the one I take my wife's car to. They know the car well and they are sensible people. Last year the Lexus had an advisory for a shock absorber, pitted rear discs and a binding service brake. The later issue was fixed but not the others. It's not done many miles but we'll see what this year brings come early August.
There is the odd spot of rust but nothing too terrible. Worst is probably the offside rear arch where it looks like it has had a scrape at some point and not been repaired, thus rusting. The seller tells me it has always garaged it, so it should be in decent condition.
Notwithstanding the lack of history, the seller did have the cambelt and waterpump replaced last September and new tyres on the front (Avon I think). The rears are mismatched but have plenty of tread. The alloys are clearly the original ones and an absolute dog's dinner. The worst I have owned on any car, but from googling, this was a common issue on these cars. I won't spend money on new ones or a refurb, but I'll see if I can brighten them up myself (says the most useless DIYer ever to live).
(the rear alloys are not so bad, the fronts are much worse)
By contrast, the interior looks blooming lovely. The seats barely sat in and with no obvious bolster wear. I'm not a fan of leather so I'm happy they are the ones just trimmed with leather. I've sat in newer cars which feel quite dated (I'm thinking my 2006 Mondeo zetec a few years back), but the inside of this does not feel like a 2002 car.
The stereo sounds good, the front seats are both heated and electrically adjustable. Air con works well. There's a sunroof (maybe not a good thing). It doesn't have the satnav option but I prefer phone apps anyway. I haven't tested everything on it, but the seller tells me it all works fine.
As for driving it -
I've only had a couple of drives so far - both around 20 miles - mix of dual carriageway (with plenty of roundabouts) and A/B roads.
It seems to drive really well. It feels pretty tight and well planted when heading around corners or roundabouts. The gearbox and clutch seem absolutely fine. No worrying bumps or clunks, no sign of any warning lights on the dash. Started with half a tank of fuel, now just above the quarter. You don't buy these for their fuel economy.
Anyway, I knew that. I've read pretty much every IS200 thread on here. I've read all the criticisms and faults and I bought it anyway. Of course, the most common gripe seems to be that (for a 2.0/6 cylinder engine) it doesn't offer enough in terms of performance. I see where that comes from - coming off a roundabout onto a nice straight dual carriageway in 2nd/3rd/4th, whatever gear you try, in fact, that straight line acceleration isn't quite there. In the same scenario, my BMW 325i, another 6 cylinder set up but with 215bhp-ish would feel pretty effortless. Apart from that, the Lexus actually seemed to make pretty decent progress under most conditions - it's a 130mph+ car and using the gears and rev range appropriately it makes pretty decent progress.
So what next?
I'm going to spend a little time tidying it up - mainly the wheels and the spots of rust.
I'm on holiday for a week end of July into August so the MOT will be booked for just after this. The S Max will do the holiday duties.
Maybe have it serviced, though if I decide I'm parting with it post-MOT, I'll probably leave that to the next lucky owner.
I'll use it as much as possible - either for family duties or just for the sake of a drive. This will help me decide if it's a keeper. Problem is, I don't have limitless off-road parking (or loads of cash), so I can't really justify more than 3 cars. I need to have something vaguely interesting to drive among those 3. One of these was never really on my radar - it's just the fact that a pretty tidy, very local example at a favourable price popped up, that it's now sitting on my driveway.
Just a couple of questions, for anybody who might know.
-can anyone tell me what colour this car actually is? Looks like I will have to order touch up paint from ebay but there seems more than one Lexus silver. I know I'm being lazy, could probably find out with a bit of googling or looking through the paperwork.
-Secondly, I have 2 remote keys, but the battery is dead in one of them. I have a Timpsons nearby who do the remote keys. Has anyone used them?
Finally, here's a half decent little IS200 Sport review, from back in the day -
http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/cartestreports/2...
And finally,finally, a few random pics (and thanks for reading) -
Took a tip from another readers car thread and tried to polish the slightly discoloured lights with t-cut -
Will be following this.
I had an 2000/X reg IS200 SE Auto. Bought it at 6 months old and kept it for nearly 15 years and 200k miles.
Agree, not the fastest car, but sounded great and drove smoothly. Great looking car in my opinion as well as ultra reliable. Apart from routine servicing, it needed an alternator and eventually a radiator (rusted and leaking).
Traded in it for £250 as the diff was on its way out, wish I had space to keep it as it was worth a lot more in parts!
I had an 2000/X reg IS200 SE Auto. Bought it at 6 months old and kept it for nearly 15 years and 200k miles.
Agree, not the fastest car, but sounded great and drove smoothly. Great looking car in my opinion as well as ultra reliable. Apart from routine servicing, it needed an alternator and eventually a radiator (rusted and leaking).
Traded in it for £250 as the diff was on its way out, wish I had space to keep it as it was worth a lot more in parts!
is200 said:
wish I had space to keep it as it was worth a lot more in parts!
This is what I'm thinking with this car - not so much the parts bit but the 'wish I had space to keep it' bit.It feels such a competent car in so many respects -
Reliable (I hope)
Nice to drive
Pretty practical (4 doors, decent boot etc)
Not bad aesthetically, yet still under the radar/anonymous
and a generally nice example of its kind.
But is all that going to be enough to satisfy the petrolhead in me...
Hi, we've got an IS300 Sportcross in the same colour. I can't remember what it is either! Platinum silver rings a bell. If it's only a dead battery in the remote, do you need to use Timsons? Can't you just replace the battery. I used Timsons to get another key when the fob fell apart and it didn't work, even after their 3rd attempt, so as far as recommendations go, not great.
Things that can be a problem on these. The factory head unit will fail. Not if, when, they all do. Calipers can seize, ours has done 100k miles and had one, but it's not uncommon. Water pumps can leak, usually only a sticking pressure relief valve, and not terminal, they just spit some water out occasionally. Drop links. Bottom ball joints, noticeable when they squeak when turning. They're sensitive to tyres and alignment, we use Goodyears and they made a huge difference to uneven tyre wear issues and the way the car drives.
Ours had a backbox at about 85k, and recently a lamda sensor. In the great scheme of things, over the 8 years and 80k miles we've owned it, it's been a great, reliable car. And thoroughly worthless now!
Good luck with yours.
Things that can be a problem on these. The factory head unit will fail. Not if, when, they all do. Calipers can seize, ours has done 100k miles and had one, but it's not uncommon. Water pumps can leak, usually only a sticking pressure relief valve, and not terminal, they just spit some water out occasionally. Drop links. Bottom ball joints, noticeable when they squeak when turning. They're sensitive to tyres and alignment, we use Goodyears and they made a huge difference to uneven tyre wear issues and the way the car drives.
Ours had a backbox at about 85k, and recently a lamda sensor. In the great scheme of things, over the 8 years and 80k miles we've owned it, it's been a great, reliable car. And thoroughly worthless now!
Good luck with yours.
My wife had a manual SE years ago in that colour.
It always felt really nicely put together and the stereo was great.
It just wasn’t that quick (not that my wife was bothered about that) but it was ridiculously thirsty for the performance it gave.
Also on a gentle bend on a rainy A1 one night I crossed an expansion gap going onto a bridge. Next thing I know I was almost sideways.
Probably one of the strangest things I’ve ever experienced in a car driving normally.
Haven’t a clue why it happened but I was always wary of it after that.
(Well I do have a clue. The rear wheel span up on the expansion joint but it really shouldn’t have been so spectacular.
)
Anyway enjoy it, still a great car at that money.
PS The wheels are diamond cut as standard. You get a chip or kerb mark in them and moisture/salt wreaks havoc.
It always felt really nicely put together and the stereo was great.
It just wasn’t that quick (not that my wife was bothered about that) but it was ridiculously thirsty for the performance it gave.
Also on a gentle bend on a rainy A1 one night I crossed an expansion gap going onto a bridge. Next thing I know I was almost sideways.
Probably one of the strangest things I’ve ever experienced in a car driving normally.
Haven’t a clue why it happened but I was always wary of it after that.
(Well I do have a clue. The rear wheel span up on the expansion joint but it really shouldn’t have been so spectacular.
)Anyway enjoy it, still a great car at that money.
PS The wheels are diamond cut as standard. You get a chip or kerb mark in them and moisture/salt wreaks havoc.
Edited by marky911 on Thursday 20th June 05:29
drdino said:
Wouldn't mind that.Had a quick google though.
And it looks expensive!
I've got a 2003 SE model in grey, silver on the logbook though!
Agree that they could do with a bit more power but I think they drive great, much better commuter car than my old EP3. Just gutted I have to get rid of it next year due to Birmingham introducing their new clean air zone, will miss it when its gone.
Agree that they could do with a bit more power but I think they drive great, much better commuter car than my old EP3. Just gutted I have to get rid of it next year due to Birmingham introducing their new clean air zone, will miss it when its gone.
They are nice cars. I bought an '03 Sport in June' 07 off a manager in work with my dad that was his company car. It had done 55k when I bought it and I took it to 135k I've the next 8 1/2 years. I had a couple of sticky calipers, a new back box and a lambda sensors in that time so not an easy car to loom after, although I suspect rust will be starting to effect alot of them now. Mine was a Plat Ice Sport that also had the styling kit from new so looked like this,
I was 20 when I bought it and thought I was the dogs dangles!
The only thing I did to it was carbon wrap the mirror covers and spoiler after a kid kicked a football that broke the drivers side mirror housing and I could only get hold of a green one in a hurry so experiment with the wrap. It was like it for a couple of years but I got a silver housing to replace the green and put it all back to standard when I sold it.
I was 20 when I bought it and thought I was the dogs dangles!
The only thing I did to it was carbon wrap the mirror covers and spoiler after a kid kicked a football that broke the drivers side mirror housing and I could only get hold of a green one in a hurry so experiment with the wrap. It was like it for a couple of years but I got a silver housing to replace the green and put it all back to standard when I sold it.
I've used timpsons for a replacement key on an old shed I bought as it only came with one. Had to make an appointment but the guy coded it in about 10/15 minutes and for the year I had the car I used the timpson one as the main key, worked fine. Cost about £110 from what I remember. Car was a honda CRV.
I seem to remeber that the Is200 will program keys itself. If you get new key cut, you can then buy the 'button' unit from a used key from eBay. There is a sequence involving the ignition and the brake pedal and the original key that will then reprogram your 'new' buttons. Have a mooch about in the lexus owners club forum and you may find the sequence.
Wow, that looks like a bargain!
I've always liked these as I'm a big fan of RWD, but when I finally discovered the straight 6 N/A petrol part of the equation I couldn't help thinking they were a bit down on power. So I ended up with BMWs - but a Lexus Sport does have an LSD, which BMWs generally don't.
Maybe I ought to try one?
Anyway, keep enjoying yours OP.
I've always liked these as I'm a big fan of RWD, but when I finally discovered the straight 6 N/A petrol part of the equation I couldn't help thinking they were a bit down on power. So I ended up with BMWs - but a Lexus Sport does have an LSD, which BMWs generally don't.
Maybe I ought to try one?
Anyway, keep enjoying yours OP.
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